Claude Desktop Setup

Overview

Connect Bilt MCP Server to Claude Desktop in under 5 minutes. Once configured, Claude can autonomously create, build, and deploy native mobile applications.

Claude Desktop supports MCP natively. No extensions or plugins required.

Platform Support

macOSFull support for macOS 11+

WindowsFull support for Windows 10+

Linux: Claude Desktop is not officially available on Linux

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed - Download from claude.ai/download
Bilt API token - Get one at bilt.me/sign-up

macOS Setup

Step 1: Locate Config File

The config file is located at:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2: Edit Configuration

Open Terminal and run:

# Create the directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/

# Edit the config file
nano ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Step 3: Add Bilt Configuration

Paste this JSON:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bilt": {
      "transport": {
        "type": "sse",
        "url": "https://mcp.bilt.me/mcp/sse",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer bilt_live_YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with your actual Bilt API token.

Step 4: Save and Restart

Press Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter to save
Quit Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q)
Reopen Claude Desktop

Step 5: Verify Connection

In Claude, ask:

What MCP servers are connected?

You should see:

Connected MCP servers:
- bilt (7 tools available)

Windows Setup

Step 1: Locate Config File

The config file is located at:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2: Create/Edit Configuration

Press Win+R to open Run dialog
Type: notepad %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Click OK

If the file doesn’t exist, Notepad will ask to create it - click Yes.

Step 3: Add Bilt Configuration

Paste this JSON:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bilt": {
      "transport": {
        "type": "sse",
        "url": "https://mcp.bilt.me/mcp/sse",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer bilt_live_YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with your actual Bilt API token.

Step 4: Save and Restart

Click File → Save
Close Claude Desktop completely
Reopen Claude Desktop

Step 5: Verify Connection

In Claude, ask:

What MCP servers are available?

You should see all 8 Bilt tools listed.

Configuration Options

Multiple Environments

Add separate entries for dev and production:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bilt-dev": {
      "transport": {
        "type": "sse",
        "url": "https://mcp.bilt.me/mcp/sse",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer bilt_live_DEV_TOKEN"
        }
      }
    },
    "bilt-prod": {
      "transport": {
        "type": "sse",
        "url": "https://mcp.bilt.me/mcp/sse",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer bilt_live_PROD_TOKEN"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Then specify which to use:

Use bilt-dev to create a test app
Use bilt-prod to deploy the final version

Adding Other MCP Servers

You can connect multiple MCP servers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bilt": {
      "transport": {
        "type": "sse",
        "url": "https://mcp.bilt.me/mcp/sse",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer bilt_live_YOUR_TOKEN"
        }
      }
    },
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/files"]
    }
  }
}

Example Workflows

Create Your First App

You: "Use Bilt to create a todo app"

Claude: [Uses bilt_create_project]
"I've created a new project called 'todo-app'. What features would you like?"

You: "Add login, todo list, and dark mode"

Claude: [Uses bilt_send_message]
"Building your app with those features. This will take about 2 minutes..."

[Wait for completion]

Claude: "Your app is ready! Would you like me to deploy it?"

You: "Yes, deploy it"

Claude: [Uses bilt_send_message with "deploy"]
"Deployed successfully! Your app is live at: https://todo-app-abc123.bilt.app"

Add Features to Existing App

You: "Add a search feature to my todo app"

Claude: [Uses bilt_list_projects, finds todo-app]
[Uses bilt_send_message to add search]
"I've added a search bar at the top of your todo list. Testing the deployment now..."

Troubleshooting

Tools not appearing

Symptom: Claude doesn’t show Bilt toolsSolutions:

Verify config file location is correct
Check JSON syntax with jsonlint.com
Ensure no extra commas or brackets
Restart Claude completely (not just minimize)
Check Claude’s MCP logs:
- macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\Logs\mcp.log

401 Unauthorized

Symptom: “Invalid or expired API key”Solutions:

Verify token format starts with bilt_live_
Check for extra spaces before/after token
Regenerate token at bilt.me/settings/api-keys
Ensure token hasn’t expired

Test token manually:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  https://mcp.bilt.me/health

Connection timeout

Symptom: “Cannot connect to MCP server”Solutions:

Check internet connection
Verify firewall allows HTTPS (port 443)
Try from different network
Check Bilt status at status.bilt.me
Disable VPN temporarily

Claude crashes on startup

Symptom: Claude won’t open after adding configSolutions:

Check JSON syntax - common errors:
- Missing comma between entries
- Extra comma after last entry
- Unclosed brackets/braces
Temporarily remove Bilt config
Restart Claude to verify it works
Re-add Bilt config carefully

Slow responses

Symptom: Claude takes long time to respondSolutions:

This is normal for first request (cold start)
Subsequent requests are faster
Check your internet speed
Try during off-peak hours

Advanced Configuration

Environment Variables (macOS only)

You can use environment variables for tokens:

Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile:

export BILT_API_TOKEN="bilt_live_YOUR_TOKEN"

Launch Claude from terminal:
source ~/.zshrc open -a "Claude"

This method requires launching Claude from terminal each time

Debug Mode

Enable verbose logging:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bilt": {
      "transport": {
        "type": "sse",
        "url": "https://mcp.bilt.me/mcp/sse",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer bilt_live_YOUR_TOKEN"
        }
      },
      "debug": true
    }
  }
}

Check logs:

macOS: tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log
Windows: Open %APPDATA%\Claude\Logs\mcp.log

Security Best Practices

Never commit tokensDon’t add config file to git repositories

Rotate regularlyGenerate new tokens every 90 days

Use dev tokensSeparate tokens for development and production

Monitor usageCheck API usage in Bilt dashboard

Next Steps

API Reference

Learn about all 7 tools

Get Started

Client Setup

Tools Reference

Claude Desktop Setup

Overview

Platform Support

Prerequisites

macOS Setup

Step 1: Locate Config File

Step 2: Edit Configuration

Step 3: Add Bilt Configuration

Step 4: Save and Restart

Step 5: Verify Connection

Windows Setup

Step 1: Locate Config File

Step 2: Create/Edit Configuration

Step 3: Add Bilt Configuration

Step 4: Save and Restart

Step 5: Verify Connection

Configuration Options

Multiple Environments

Adding Other MCP Servers

Example Workflows

Create Your First App

Add Features to Existing App

Troubleshooting

Advanced Configuration

Environment Variables (macOS only)

Debug Mode

Security Best Practices

Next Steps

API Reference

​Overview

​Platform Support

​Prerequisites

​macOS Setup

​Step 1: Locate Config File

​Step 2: Edit Configuration

​Step 3: Add Bilt Configuration

​Step 4: Save and Restart

​Step 5: Verify Connection

​Windows Setup

​Step 1: Locate Config File

​Step 2: Create/Edit Configuration

​Step 3: Add Bilt Configuration

​Step 4: Save and Restart

​Step 5: Verify Connection

​Configuration Options

​Multiple Environments

​Adding Other MCP Servers

​Example Workflows

​Create Your First App

​Add Features to Existing App

​Troubleshooting

​Advanced Configuration

​Environment Variables (macOS only)

​Debug Mode

​Security Best Practices

​Next Steps

API Reference

Overview

Platform Support

Prerequisites

macOS Setup

Step 1: Locate Config File

Step 2: Edit Configuration

Step 3: Add Bilt Configuration

Step 4: Save and Restart

Step 5: Verify Connection

Windows Setup

Step 1: Locate Config File

Step 2: Create/Edit Configuration

Step 3: Add Bilt Configuration

Step 4: Save and Restart

Step 5: Verify Connection

Configuration Options

Multiple Environments

Adding Other MCP Servers

Example Workflows

Create Your First App

Add Features to Existing App

Troubleshooting

Advanced Configuration

Environment Variables (macOS only)

Debug Mode

Security Best Practices

Next Steps